Most Popular
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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KT launches new mobile plans for foreign residents
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Court rules ban against English immersion education is constitutional
The Constitutional Court ruled Thursday that the government's prohibition against intensive English education for children in the first few grades of elementary schools is constitutional.In 2013, students and their parents at Young Hoon Elementary School in northern Seoul challenged the education ministry's decision to ban English classes for private elementary school students in the first and second grades, saying it infringes upon their rights to an education.The plaintiffs said the government
Feb. 25, 2016
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State’s wiretapping case closes without ruling
The Constitutional Court on Thursday closed the legality case on the state’s wiretapping of civilians, citing the death of the claimant as the reason. In 2011, a high school teacher surnamed Kim had filed the lawsuit against the state over the legality of the communication restriction measures. Kim claimed that he was unnecessarily wiretapped by the National Intelligence Service while he was under a probe for making up school test questions about the inter-Korean summit deal. Kim was a member of
Feb. 25, 2016
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Three foreigners to stand trial for illegal entry
Three foreigners were indicted Thursday on charges of illegally entering South Korea through the country's main airport last month, prosecutors said Thursday.The Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, located in the western port city of the same name, said it charged the suspects -- a Chinese couple and a Vietnamese national -- for violating the country's immigration control law.Two Chinese nationals allegedly sneaked in through Incheon International Airport without being noticed by immigration o
Feb. 25, 2016
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Amnesty's hologram rally in Seoul ends peacefully without police clash
A human rights group staged a hologram rally, called a "ghost rally," in central Seoul on Wednesday night, chanting slogans and waving banners on a giant screen.The rally was the first of its kind in South Korea and the second internationally following one in Spain last April.The Korean office of Amnesty International (AI) projected holographic images of protesters on a screen set up at Gwanghwamun Square on the eve of the third anniversary of President Park Geun-hye's administration.The ghost r
Feb. 25, 2016
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3% of salaried persons high-wage earners: report
About three out of 100 wage earners in Korea receive an annual salary of more than 100 million won (about $80,000), according to a report by Rep. Lee No-geun of the ruling Saenuri Party on Thursday.The report, which was based on tax authorities’ year-end tax adjustment, showed that high-wage earners number at 526,689 out of the total 16.68 million salaried people here. By region, Ulsan, the nation’s southeastern industrial city, topped the proportion of high-wage earners at 8.5 percent. There we
Feb. 25, 2016
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Property acquisition tax revenue in Jeju jumped 53.4 pct last year
Real estate acquisition taxes collected last year in the southern island of Jeju increased by more than 50 percent compared to a year before on the back of a real estate boom, data showed Thursday. The Jeju provincial government said it collected 340.2 billion won ($275.2 million) in acquisition taxes in 2015, a 53.4 percent increase from 2014 when it raked in 221.7 billion won. The provincial government attributed the hike in property acquisition taxes to growing interest inside and outside of
Feb. 25, 2016
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[Graphic News] Coffee can reduce risk of osteoporosis: study
Drinking up to two cups of coffee a day can significantly reduce the risk of osteoporosis, a bone disease that can lead to higher risk of fractures, a South Korean study showed Wednesday. Organized and published by the Seoul National University Hospital, the research only analyzed symptoms among menopausal women. It conducted research on 4,066 menopausal women who had been tested for bone density between 2008 and 2011. According to the study, those who drank less than a single cup of coffee dail
Feb. 24, 2016
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Korea, France to hold talks on Africa
South Korea and France will hold a bilateral policy consultative meeting in Seoul on Friday to enhance their cooperation on Africa-related issues including development, anti-piracy efforts and security, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.The two countries have held four senior-level diplomatic meetings since 2009 as Korea seeks to learn from France's experiences in enhancing ties with the resource-rich yet conflict-laden African continent.Kwon Hee-seog, director-general for the African and
Feb. 24, 2016
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Muslims, activists fear passage of antiterrorism bill
Last month, a 30-year-old Muslim from Bangladesh received a sudden phone call from the police asking him, without a warrant, to appear for questioning about his asylum-seeking status. Baffled and afraid, the asylum seeker residing in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, went to Jeonbuk Police Agency for the interview without knowing why he was being questioned. “Police asked me why I came to Korea, why I applied for refugee status here and what my profession was back in my country,” the Bangladeshi ma
Feb. 24, 2016
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Seoul City to provide free high-speed Wi-Fi in all public places
Seoul City will construct a free Wi-Fi internet access system in every public space in the city by next year as part of its new move to go further digital, officials said. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said that the free high-speed Wi-Fi will be accessible in all public places, including public institutions, parks, plazas and roads. So far, the free Wi-Fi has been limited to public transportation, such as subway lines and buses. This is part of the city’s five-year initiative to transform
Feb. 24, 2016
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Korea conducts anti-terror exercise
South Korea conducted a joint anti-terror exercise involving the military, police and firefighters on Wednesday as the government recently warned of possible terror attacks by North Korea. Some 150 forces from the Army's Capital Defense Command, the police's emergency strike force and the firefighting agency joined the drill, intended to boost their capability to suppress a terrorist attack occurring at a public place.The exercise was conducted based on the scenario of a North Korea-related terr
Feb. 24, 2016
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[Herald Interview] ‘Digital capacity crucial for city’s sustainable development’
Running a constructive e-government system is crucial for municipalities to pursue sustainable development and ensure civic democracy, said the head of an international cooperative body for digital governance.“The importance of the government’s online services is growing as it plays a crucial role in helping cities to pursue sustainable development. It not only provides a new source of economic growth with innovative technology but also strengthens democracy by attracting citizens to participate
Feb. 24, 2016
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Seoul mulls abolishing ‘elite’ high schools
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said Wednesday it recently conducted a study on possibly abolishing the high school pecking order, which Seoul’s education chief Cho Hi-yeon has pointed to as one of the main problems of the education system here. Seoul’s education chief Cho Hi-yeon (Yonhap)A SMOE-commissioned research team has filed a report on “reforming the high school system to normalize primary and secondary education,” according to officials. Led by Kim Kyung-keun, a professor of
Feb. 24, 2016
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Seoul offers subsidies to host global events
The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday announced subsidies to groups winning bids to host international events that will be attended by at least 50 foreign participants.It will also offer consulting and other education on organizing global events and offer welcoming services to incoming foreign visitors. The city said these and other measures will be implemented to foster the MICE (Meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions) industry with a goal to become of the three best MICE citi
Feb. 24, 2016
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Park says job creation key priority
President Park Geun-hye said Wednesday that job creation is a key priority of her government in the latest sign of challenges facing South Korea.Park has been struggling to create more jobs for people, especially young people, though her efforts have not paid off.The jobless rate among people between ages 15 and 29 reached a record high of 9.2 percent in 2015, the highest reading since 1999 and much higher than the 3.6 percent average for the country as a whole.Park said the government should st
Feb. 24, 2016
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Appeals court upholds acquittal of ex-Navy chief over corruption
An appeals court on Wednesday upheld an acquittal of a former Navy chief for corruption in a deal to supply parts of the country's indigenous salvage ship, citing lack of evidence.The Seoul High Court found the retired Adm. Hwang Ki-chul, who served as the Chief of Naval Operations from 2013 to 2015, not guilty of allegations that he pressured his subordinates to forge a document in 2009 to help a firm win the contract.Prosecutors suspected that he made them manipulate a quality assurance docume
Feb. 24, 2016
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Korea, U.S. to hold first high-level meeting on nuclear pact in April
South Korea and the United States will hold their first high-level meeting in April on implementing their new nuclear energy partnership accord, a top Seoul diplomat said Wednesday.Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said he plans to visit Washington next week to announce the official launch of the high-level committee tasked with discussing the details of the accord."In mid-April, the first meeting ... will be held in Seoul," he said during a keynote speech at a symposium on nuclear issues.Cho co
Feb. 24, 2016
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Ruling party slams Chinese envoy's warning over THAAD
South Korea's ruling party on Wednesday strongly condemned a Chinese envoy's warning that the planned deployment of an advanced U.S. anti-ballistic missile defense system in South Korea could hurt Seoul-Beijing ties.Qiu Guohong, China's ambassador to Seoul, said Tuesday that the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system "could destroy bilateral relations in an instant." The remarks were made during his meeting with an interim chairman of South Korea's main opposition M
Feb. 24, 2016
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New insurance plans for electric cars to be launched this year
The government plans to roll out new insurance plans reserved for electric cars around September, officials said Wednesday, in a move expected to help green car users pay less for premiums.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Financial Services Commission (FSC) were to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Insurance Development Institute and other relevant agencies later in the day to jointly develop such programs, according the officials.The government has also agreed
Feb. 24, 2016
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Korea dismisses China's concern over THAAD
South Korea's presidential office expressed displeasure Wednesday at China's ferocious opposition to its push for the deployment of THAAD, a U.S. missile defense system, here.It is a matter of "self-defense" against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Jeong Yeon-guk told reporters.He was responding to increased public pressure from China over the THAAD issue.Beijing's top envoy in Seoul warned Tuesday that bilateral ties will be destroyed "in an instant" if the Ter
Feb. 24, 2016